Meant to be
by Spiritedspoon
Summary: Ryoma has been abroad for three years training in America but when he comes back Sakuno has changed and is ready to face him on the other side of the net. (Ryoma and Sakuno meet up at the U-17 selection camp)
1. Ryoma Returnes

**Chapter 1 **

Sakuno:

PAM! Her tennis ball hit the wall with speed and strength.

PAM! Another strong shot.

PAM! "Sakuno! Where are you? It's time for your lesson!" She heard her grandmother and couch yell.

Sakuno quickly gathered her things and started towards the teaching courts.

It had been 3 years since Ryoma had left to train in America and Sakuno had improved her tennis play dramatically. She had trained with her grandmother every afternoon for hours so that she could play the game properly and now she was the captain of the girl's high school tennis team. All the while thinking of her one true crush, the tennis prodigy, Ryoma Echizen. That day at the terminal when Sakuno said goodbye to her beloved Ryoma she was crying. Who could blame her, she loved him and she had told him that she loved him but his mind remained unwavering. He was going to train in America no matter what obstacles he needed to concur; even if the obstacle was breaking a young girl's heart. From that day on she had become a strong girl, no more crying, or being embarrassed or being concerned with being a proper lady. She was going to be a tennis star, and maybe one day meet up with Ryoma on the court.

Sakuno was proud of her improvement and wanted to play with opponents at her level but unfortunately the old Seigaku tennis team had long since broken up. Tezuka went to Germany to recover and become a pro, Fuji decided to study abroad in New Zealand and nobody had heard from him since he left, Oishi and Kawamura decided to stop playing tennis after they graduated from Seigaku, Eiji was depressed because of Oishi's decision and now only played recreationally, Inui started working at a juice bar and didn't have time for tennis, and Momoshiro and Kaido played against each other on their high school teams. Sakuno couldn't remember the last time the whole gang was together.

By the time Sakuno had made it to the court her grandmother was getting agitated. "Sakuno, why did you take so long? I have something very important to tell you." Now Sakuno was intrigued, "What are you talking about grandmother?" Sumire motioned for her granddaughter to sit with her on a near by bench. "You've told me many times that you are finding it very difficult to have a proper match lately because you have simply outgrown your opponents and I can see why, you have improved so much over the past few years. It is truly remarkable.

Back to the point, the U-17 training camp that decides the Japanese representatives for the international junior tennis competition is coming up and there will be many strong players attending from across the country." Sakuno knew exactly what Sumire was talking about. When she was at school the Ryoma, it was all he would ever talk about, and Sakuno had made it a dream of hers to watch Ryoma play in the competition because, undoubtedly, he would compete. That was one thing Sakuno loved about Ryoma, once he set his mind to something, you could rest assured it would be done. _No. Stop thinking about him. You decided long ago that your priority was going to be you and you weren't going to concern yourself with Ryoma for the time being. _Sakuno thought to herself.

"Yes grandmother, it is a wonderful opportunity for players under seventeen year old but the camp is only for boys and there is no female equivalent because most of the girls my age don't care about tennis at the level needed for such an event." Sumire was a bit nervous about telling her beloved granddaughter this next part, "I know my darling Sakuno, and it might be crazy of me to even think of this, it's just that you show so much promise, well…I think you should go to the camp disguised as a boy. I could say you were a son of a friend from overseas and came to live with me in Japan because of family circumstances. What do you think?" Sakuno was shocked. Shocked and delighted however shocked all the same.

"Grandmother, I don't think I could pull it off. My hair..." Sakuno had beautiful wavy hazelnut hair that fell down to the nape of her lower back. "It is too beautiful to cut so we could have to tuck it into a hat and pin is so that is would be secure." Sumire answered without a second thought. "What about my chest?" Sakuno had become more daring with age and was no longer embarrassed by anything and everything. "You would have to bandage your chest every morning and then wear baggy shirts to conceal your breasts." Sakuno was concerned at first but now that she saw how much her grandmother believed in her she was motivated and if it meant she could play tennis against some strong opponents then she was all for it. "If you think they won't realize I am a girl then I just have to make sure to kick so serious butt out there!" "There is the fighting girl I know so well!"

_Now that we have decided I'll be apart of the camp I will have to train with all my heart and become unbeatable! _Sakuno decided with determination. After Sumire said she was free to go, Sakuno went to change so focused on her game that she didn't think at all about a certain cat-eyed boy and how he might be attending the same camp in a week's time.

Ryoma:

Ryoma let out a huge breath he hadn't realized he was holding once his feet made contact with he Japanese earth. It had been 3 years since he had left everyone and everything behind to train in America and he was dying to see everyone again, especially a certain girl with big brown eyes and long hazelnut hair. When he had said goodbye to Sakuno she was in tears, and Ryoma didn't quite grasp how large a part of his life she was until it was too late to do anything about it. Sakuno had confessed to him when they were still in school together but Ryoma had though nothing of it because he was so focused on his career. _How could I have ever left such an amazing girl slip from my grasp? _ Ryoma thought to himself as he made his way to the taxi stand.

Ryoma hadn't told anyone he was coming home except for his annoying old man who swore that he would keep his return home a secret. He wanted it to be a surprise. It was just a lucky coincidence that his contract with the American tennis association ended just in time for him to rush back to Japan to be a part of the U-17 training camps.

Ryoma hopped in a cab and gave the driver directions to his family home. After he had left for America he had lost contact with all his teammates and he wondered how they were doing. He was disappointed that he had to leave everyone behind, especially after Tezuka wanted him to be the "Seigaku pillar of support". Ryoma rustled around in his bag until he found what he was looking for. It was a clear zip-lock bag full of about 30 or so letters from Sakuno he just could not part with.

For the first 6 months after Ryoma left Sakuno frequently wrote letters to him telling him that everyone was doing fine and how she was playing tennis more often with her grandmother but then all of a sudden the letters stopped coming. Ryoma was talking to his father enough to know she was safe so that wasn't the issue. Yes it is true that Ryoma never responded to her letters but if she had known him well, which she did, then she would not have been expecting a response. So why did she stop writing to him? It was a question he was going to ask when he met up with the girl from three years ago.

Ryoma continued to stare out the window and eventually drifted off. He dreamt of middle school; everyone was there. Everyone was at the tennis courts; it was a normal afternoon and they were all training together. He and Momo were in the middle of a practice match and Ryoma was laughing because his opponent was dripping in sweat and yelling at him but Ryoma didn't even have a bead of sweat on his face. Then he heard a faint "Go Ryoma!" from the sidelines. When he looked over he saw Sakuno with her loud and annoying best friends Tomoka. She was so beautiful; standing there with that gorgeous hair (still in twin braids) blowing in the wind and a slight flush forming on her perfectly angular face. They made eye contact for a second and Ryoma got a good look at the bright brown eyes staring back at him. Before he could do anything Sakuno looked away sheepishly and Tomoka ran towards him grabbing him by the arm and hugging him way to tightly for his liking.

The taxi hit a small bump and jolted Ryoma back into reality. Ryoma must have been sleeping for a while because they were already in his old neighborhood. Just as they were pulling down his street Ryoma saw a girl walking along the sidewalk. Ryoma had to blink twice she was so breathtakingly stunning. Her long hair reached far down her slender figure and her slim legs seemed to go on for days. When they drove by her he noticed she was carrying a tennis bag but Ryoma couldn't get a clear look at her face because she was wearing a tennis cap that was pulled over her eyes.

When Ryoma finally set down his bag in his old bedroom his thoughts were still on the mysterious girl. She occupied his mind for most of that night before he fell into a deep peaceful sleep.


	2. Roommates

**I don't own the characters fetured in my story. They are from The Prince of Tennis manga/anime. :)**

Sakuno:

The big day was finally here! Sakuno hopped out of bed and ran down the stairs straight into her grandmother arms excitedly yelling "Grandmother! It's the first day of the training camp! I am so excited to go!" Sumire laughed and couldn't help but share Sakuno's enthusiasm. "Yes my darling! I don't know if I can drive you thought, I already have previous engagements". "Don't worry about it," Sakuno replied, "I would prefer to walk and warm up my muscles anyway." Sumire smiled, "You're such a good girl Sakuno. I'll drop your bags off at the main office later on today." "Okay, thank you very much. I'll see you once the camp is over." The two shared a warm hug and then Sumire was out the door.

Sakuno proceeded to make herself an egg and a piece of toast. _I'll need my protein today if I want to play to my best ability. _After her breakfast Sakuno went upstairs to transform herself into a boy.

_Step 1 – boobs. _Sakuno grabbed the elastic bandage Sumire bought her and started to wrap it around her chest until her womanly curves vanished beneath the bandage. A baggy shirt to conceal the bandage and step one was complete.

_Step 2 – hair. _Sakuno took a look at her hair in the mirror; she had an abundance of hair. _How am I going to make this work? _Sakuno spent way too long figuring out how to get her hair into her favorite tennis cap, it turned out that a messy bun was the best option. Finally ready to play Sakuno glanced at her clock. The camp started in twenty-five minutes and it was, at least, a forty-minute walk. Sakuno was out the door in a second and barreling down the street before the door even slammed shut.

Ryoma:

Ryoma was casually strolling to the camp enjoying the scenery of his childhood home. The camp was going to start soon but Ryoma Echizen knew how to make an entrance and he didn't care about being exactly on time. Just as he was starting up the hill towards the gate that lead to the camp grounds a boy ran racing by him. As he ran by, Ryoma could see the profile of his face and he was surprised by how beautiful he was.

Ryoma was not homosexual and he had never had any attractions to other men, but this boy was beautiful and reminded him of someone he once knew. Ryoma had to sprint to catch up with the boy. "Hey!" The other boy didn't hear him. "Hey! You! Stop running and hold on a second!" The other boy turned around and Ryoma found himself staring into these big brown endless eyes. Once Ryoma had recovered from the initial shock of the boys mesmerizing eyes he then asked "Who are you? And also, why are you rushing up this hill?"

Sakuno:

Sakuno couldn't believe it. She just could not come to grips with the fact that she was looking right into the cat-like eyes of the boy she treasured so dearly. How could he be in Japan? How could he be right in front of her? Sakuno had always though he would come to this camp but it was different now that he was actually here.

Sakuno was completely and utterly amazed. Ryoma was unbelievably handsome, that's not to say he wasn't always good looking. But over the last three years he had grown much taller and he had really grown into his lean muscular body. His eyes were as deep and vibrant as ever and they were staring right back at her. When he asked her who she was his voice was like hot fudge, fluid and rich. She wished he would hold onto her and whisper sweet nothings in his but that was such a ludicrous daydream and bound to never happen in this lifetime.

Sakuno had to remember that she was playing the part of a regular high school boy and had to try hard to stop herself from running straight into Ryoma's arms. "Umm- I was just, well…I was invited to the training camp." Ryoma didn't waste a second replying to her stupid response, "Who are you? What's your name?"

Sakuno couldn't believe she hadn't thought this through! How could she forget that she needed a different name if she was going to pass as a boy! She had to think of a fake name and this second, Ryoma was too smart to not think something was up if she hesitated telling him her name! "My name is ummm…Suno Hyuno." _Stupid, stupid girl! He is going to know it's you! Sakuno and Suno are way too similar!. _

Sakuno waited to hear from the Prince of Tennis, "Well then Suno, we should probably get a move on if we are not going to be thirty minutes that for our very first day."

_Oh my god! He didn't realize it was me! _Sakuno wiped the slight sweat from her brow and followed the prince up the hill to their home for the next few weeks.

Ryoma:

_This kid is a bit weird_, Ryoma couldn't help but think. He had decided it was just a fluke that he was attracted to Suno. The two of them made their ways up the hill together. At first Ryoma had though Suno had a shy character but now he wouldn't shut up about how excited he was to be attending this camp. It was no big deal for Ryoma to be invited to a camp of this caliber but Suno gave Ryoma the impression that this was his first time.

When the two of them finally arrived at the camp Ryoma was impressed by the facilities but not nearly as dazed ad his new friend standing beside him. "Wow! This place is ridiculous! I can't even count how many courts there are!" As Suno scanned the scene Ryoma quickly found where the coached were addressing the invited players. "Common Suno, we have to go or we will have no idea how to function in this place." "Oh yeah, your so right Ryoma." As the two of them rushed to the court Ryoma couldn't help but wonder how Suno knew his name. That was a question Ryoma was going to save for later.

When they finally arrived the other players were already leaving the scene. "Sorry we are late" both of them said at the same time. Ryoma sized up the coaches and came to the view that one was a hard-core trainer and the other one focused more on the statistics of the players and their games. Before Ryoma could say anything Suno was already making up an excuse for them, "We are so sorry sir, I was running late this morning because I overslept and Ryoma got lost on his way here. It was just good luck that I found him!"

The mean looking coach growled while the other coach immediately replied with a weak smile, "Under these circumstances I think we can make an exception however we usually operate under strict rules and protocol here."

Suno lightly hit his head and nervously stuck out his tongue while laughing. It bothered Ryoma how cute he found that. "Sorry sir. I'm Suno Hyuno and this is Ryoma Echizen."

The mean looking coach introduced himself as coach Pingyu and the other as coach Fushi. Pingyu told them that since they were both late they couldn't chose their roomates and that they were going to be "stuck together" until the camp finished.

Ryoma looked over at his new roommate, who was noticeably nervous. SOmething was up with the guy, and Ryoma was going to get to the bottom of it.


	3. Living Together

**All the characters are not my own, they come from The Prince of Tennis anime/manga series. I hope you all enjoy! Reviews are greatly appreciated! New chapters posted frequently :)**

Sakuno:

The walk to the dormitories was so awkward for Sakuno. Ryoma thought she was a boy and thus, he couldn't care less that they were roommates. But for Sakuno, sharing a room with her biggest crush and keeping him from finding out her identity was just not in the playing cards. The two coaches lead them up 4 flights of stairs. "You two are staying in the attic room since you were late to the start of the camp." Coach Fushi explained.

Sakuno looked over at Ryoma. She really had no clue as to how she was going to deal with this; he was going to be so close to her, breathing in the same air as her, changing in the same room as her! Oh god! Of course she would go to the washroom to get ready but just thinking of him getting undressed made her blush.

They finally arrived at their new room Sakuno was horrified at how small it was! There was only enough room for a bunk bed and a dresser. Apparently the prince had the same opinion and spoke up, "I don't think that the two of us can live in such close quarters. " All Sakuno could think to do was nod vigorously in agreement.

"Well what did you brats expect? That you would get off consequence free? Haha no way. We run a tight ship here. Those who break the rules pay for it" the awful coach Pingyu answered harshly to them. Fushi just smiled at them and then started to explain what they had missed, "You will have off-court training sessions every morning from 7 to 10:30. This will include cardio, strengthening and also simulations. Then you will be given a short lunch break from !0:30 until 11:15. We expect you to always be properly dressed and presentable so that break might include a shower and a change of your clothes. The afternoon is divided into two types of on-court training. Part A, the training drill section is 3 hours and forty-five minutes long and lasts from 11:15 to 3 pm and then you will transfer right away to Part B which are the practice matches. Everyday you will play three matches and your opponents will be listed beside your name on the bulletin board in the main courtyard. Dinner starts at 5 and ends at 7 but after that you have free time for the rest of the afternoon. There is a tennis store, a garden café and a library located on campgrounds. You are free to use them in your spare time. If you have any questions ask your piers or either myself of coach Pingyu. We will leave you to get settled in." And will a final smile from Fushi and a glare from Pingyu the two coaches were gone, leaving Sakuno and Ryoma to themselves.

Ryoma wasted no time in unpacking. He started as soon as the door shut behind the coaches and it didn't take long before he finished since he brought the bare essentials, and alarm clock and a picture of his cat. "Are you not going to unpack?" Ryoma asked as he looked at her from across the room. "I only have my tennis bag with me now but my host parent is going to drop of my suitcase later on today." Ryoma just shrugged and then open his laptop and started to amuse himself with the Internet world.

Sakuno walked over to the window and stared through the blinds at the magnificent training facilities. _I am going to improve so much here. I can't wait until we start! I'm also excited to see how The Prince of Tennis improved from his time training in America. _

Before Sakuno realized it Ryoma was standing beside her, "They do have some nice tennis courts here. This is going to work just fine for these next few weeks. Have you ever been to a camp like this before?" Ryoma questioned. "No, I'm actually somewhat new to all this – I mean this elite level of tennis. I started playing only three years ago." Ryoma just nodded slowly.

Ryoma:

That was crazy. He could NOT believe that someone who only started playing tennis three years ago would be invite to such a prestigious camp. This kid must be really good; although Ryoma would never say that out loud. After nodding to Suno he turned and made his way to the bed. "Hey, do you want the bottom or the top?" Suno looked over at him, man those eyes were endless, and beautiful, _Stop thinking that way Ryoma! He is your new roommate!_ "I don't mind. Anything is fine." Ryoma thought about it, he was going to take the high road and go for the worse of the two options. "I'll bunk on the upper part of the bead. You can have the bottom." "Oh no, the top is so terrible. I can't possible ask you to do that." Suno argued. Ryoma had an idea, "Why don't we switch every three of fours days. You don't seem like a slobbery sleeper so we won't have to go through the hassle of switching sheets."

Suno looked at him puzzled but then all of a sudden said very energetically, "Ya sure! Sounds perfect!" Weird, this kid was so weird. Just them Suno's phone went off. "Hello?" Suno answered, "Oh hi, ya… thanks so much. You don't have to wait. Go back to the house, I'll go pick it up now. Thanks!" Ryoma quizzically looked over at the boy, "Oh, the was my host parent, she dropped my bag off at the front reception area. I'm just going to pick it up now." Just as he was about to leave the room he stopped and looked back at Ryoma with a embarrassed grin on his face, "Ryoma, do you know where the reception is? I've always been a bit of klutz, especially with directions." Ryoma didn't reply but walked straight out the door with his new roommate trailing not too far behind. As they walked to the front reception Ryoma though about what Suno had said about being bad with directions and couldn't help but think back to the first time he met Sakuno. They were in the train station and he had asked for directions and of coarse she had given him the wrong ones. As a result he had been late for him match and, as the rules of tennis dictate, made to forfeited.

He chuckled at the thought of the nervous girl who he had missed so much when he was away. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a grinning Suno looking at his face. _How can anyone be so goddam beautiful? _ This was going to be a training camp like no other; Ryoma could just feel it in his gut.

When the two of them finally arrived to get Suno's bag Ryoma's thoughts were still of Sakuno. So when they walked through the main passage Ryoma didn't even notice who was standing in front of him until the boy beside him surprisingly said, "Eiji! Oishi!" With that Ryoma stopped everything and looked up straight into the eyes of his two upperclassmen from middle school which we also his ex-teammates.

The two men were staring back at him with wide eyes, as expected Eiji was the one to break the awkward silence, "Shorty! What the hell are you doing here?" he yelled with such excitement as he hopped on to Ryoma, "Though I can't call you shorty anymore can I! You're so tall and broad! Holy shit!" Oishi started to laugh when Ryoma tried to escape from Eiji's strong hold. "Echizen how could you be here and not contact us!" Oishi wined. Suno replied before Ryoma had a chance to answer Oishi's questions. "Why don't we go talk somewhere else. We could go sit down in the courtyard café." Oishi looked at Suno like he was just noticing there was another person there for the first time. Ryoma had to admit it bothered him when Oishi's eyes scoped out every inch of Suno. "Great idea…" "Sorry about that, my name is Suno." "No problem Suno", Oishi replied politely as always, "Echizen, Eiji and I are not the only regulars here. Tazuka, Fuji, Kaido and Momo are also attending this camp. Eiji and I will go get them and then we can all meet up at the café to catch up." Ryoma was the king of hiding his emotions so he just coolly nodded so they new he was on side but secretly he was over the moon. He had really missed his friends, catching up with them was going to be great.

Sakuno:

She really needed to be more careful about saying things Suno wouldn't know. She was just very lucky that all three boys were to astonished at each other's presence that they didn't notice she had said their names. It would have been impossible to get that past Ryoma's attention after he had noticed it.

Sakuno nervously glanced at Ryoma standing at her side and she couldn't control the giggle when she saw him standing there grinning as his teammates rushed off to get everyone together again.


End file.
